Dave Brubeck where he most comfortable: Behind a piano. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

December 5, 2012

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One day short of his 92nd birthday, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck — whose 1959 album Time Out, recorded with the other members of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, helped to popularize jazz for a generation of Americans — has passed away from heart failure, reports the Chicago Tribune. During his six-decade career, Brubeck earned honors from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kennedy Center, and the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. "It's like a whole orchestra, the piano for me," said Brubeck, who was particularly noted for his unconventional time signatures. Enjoy three of Brubeck's most iconic performances: